Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24451 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 26 April 2002, what the timescale will be for consideration of increasing training grants to Alcohol Focus Scotland to meet the increased demand for counsellors arising from its Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems .

Mrs Mary Mulligan: All applications for training grants under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 for funding in the financial year 2003-04 are to be received by 30 September 2002. Alcohol Focus Scotland will be advised of the outcome by 31 December 2002.

Alcohol Misuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether active consideration is being given as part of the spending review to allocating increased funding to implement its Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems .

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Consideration is being given to funding a range of initiatives as part of the spending review, the outcome of which will be announced later this year.

Alcohol Misuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is already in place to ensure implementation of its Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems .

Mrs Mary Mulligan: We are providing new resources centrally to implement the Plan for Action's early priorities. This includes £1.5 million for a national alcohol problems communications strategy, increased funding to Alcohol Action Teams (AATs) of £1 million and £250,000 to develop a national alcohol information resource. AATs are currently examining how existing spending on alcohol problems can be redesigned to help implement the plan locally.

Alcohol Misuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will increase, or encourage an increase of, funding for local councils on alcohol to ensure that delivery of its Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems is secured.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Executive recognises the valuable contribution made by voluntary sector organisations, including Local Councils on Alcohol, in providing services and in other action in the plan. The Executive is providing core funding of £175,000 in 2002-03 for Alcohol Focus Scotland, the national umbrella body for local councils. The provision of local services, however, is a matter for local funding bodies to determine, in the light of local needs and available resources.

Bathing Waters

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to designate more of Scotland’s beaches as bathing beaches.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the revised European Directive on Bathing Waters will have and what action will be required by the Executive to meet its terms.

Allan Wilson: The European Commission has announced that it intends to revise the Bathing Waters Directive (76/160/EEC) but the proposals have not yet been published. Until the potential impact of the new directive can be assessed, it would be unwise to identify more bathing waters.

Bathing Waters

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what investment is already committed and planned to improve the quality of Scotland’s beaches.

Allan Wilson: During the period 1996-2002, the Scottish water authorities spent £407.5 million on coastal sewerage and wastewater treatment. Over the period 2002-06 Scottish Water is planning to spend £427.4 million on sewerage and sewage treatment, of which £50.9 million will be used to make improvements at bathing and other, non-identified, recreational and coastal waters.

  On 10 July 2002 the Scottish Executive announced £3 million investment to facilitate improvements in bathing waters standards where agricultural practices are a major contributor to pollution. £550,000 to be spent on litter initiatives through Keep Scotland Beautiful was announced on the same day, which will also benefit Scotland’s beaches.

Bathing Waters

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where responsibility lies for the erection of signage on beaches advising members of the public of bathing quality.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued guidance to local authorities on the erection of signage on beaches advising members of the public of bathing quality.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances it has the power to compel local authorities to erect signage on beaches advising members of the public of bathing quality, given some of the potential health hazards associated with poor water quality.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities should provide full information on water quality for beaches in their area.

Allan Wilson: There is no statutory requirement on any party to erect signage on beaches advising of bathing water quality. However, under section 121(9) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 a local authority may place notices on beaches to advise the public as to any danger or health hazard connected with those waters. A local authority may also erect signs on beaches to advise members of the public of bathing water quality, at its own discretion. The Scottish Executive has not issued guidance on this matter.

Bathing Waters

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or any other agency measures incidents of illness caused by bathing at beaches where there is poor water quality.

Allan Wilson: The total number of incidents of illness caused by bathing at waters where there is poor water quality is not identifiable from centrally collected information. ISD Scotland (the Information and Statistics Division of the NHS) can identify cases where illness is caused by certain related factors, but do not routinely monitor these detailed statistics. It appears, however, that such incidents are extremely uncommon.

  The Environment Agency has carried out theoretical risk calculations for all UK bathing waters, based on a methodology developed by the World Health Organisation, and reported data for the presence of faecal indicator organisms. If the World Health Organisation methodology is correct, this work would give estimates of the occurrence of illness given particular levels of water quality and use. No systematic record of the use of Scottish bathing waters is, however, kept.

Common Agricultural Policy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in relation to the maximum payment of subsidies under the common agricultural policy; whether such payment should be restricted to 300,000 euros and, if not, what that sum should be.

Ross Finnie: We welcome the general direction of the Commission’s proposals for reform of the CAP, which is consistent with the Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture .

  However, any proposal to limit the maximum amount payable to individual farm businesses may act as a constraint on the future development of those businesses which have grown through being efficient and competitive. It is our policy to encourage farmers to be more efficient, not to penalise them for it.

Common Agricultural Policy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there should be a minimum sum payable under the common agricultural policy by way of subsidies to any one farm unit and, if so, what that amount should be.

Ross Finnie: We are currently evaluating the Commission’s proposals for reform of the CAP, but I am not aware of any suggestion that there should be an automatic minimum payment available to individual farm businesses.

Common Agricultural Policy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on (a) the policy of modulation under the common agricultural policy and (b) the proposal by Franz Fischler of the EU Commission that there should be a further modulation of 20% and (c) what it considers should be the maximum percentage modulated each year.

Ross Finnie: The Executive agreed to introduce modulation up to a maximum of 4.5% on the basis of matched funding from HM Treasury which aids rural development measures and, in turn, helps secure a sustainable future for Scottish agriculture. However, it is too soon to comment on the recent commission proposals to introduce compulsory modulation at a set rate across the EU. It is only one of a wide range of common agricultural policy changes being proposed, and much of the detail is still unclear but the industry steering group that I recently announced will have the opportunity to discuss issues arising from the proposals.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Waiting Times Unit will monitor waiting times and lists for dental treatment and recommend actions.

Malcolm Chisholm: Most dental treatment is provided in the community by General Dental Practitioners. The National Waiting Times Unit has no plans to monitor waiting times for access to such services. However, the unit is working with NHSScotland to reduce lengthy waits for out-patient appointments and for hospital treatment in all specialties, including secondary dental services.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the prior approval limit for dental treatment of £270 in order to bring it in line with the limit for the rest of the United Kingdom at £375.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Executive has no current plans to increase the prior approval limit in Scotland.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the provision of secondary dental services, orthodontics and oral surgery at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, in order to reduce waiting times elsewhere in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: The planning and provision of secondary dental services, orthodontics and oral surgery at the Queen Margaret Hospital are matters for NHS Fife.

  The National Waiting Times Unit is working with NHSScotland to ensure better and more effective use is made of NHS capacity for the benefit of patients across Scotland. A key priority for the unit is to help reduce lengthy waits for out-patient appointments and for hospital treatment in all specialties, including secondary dental services.

Forestry Commission

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the staff currently employed by the Forestry Commission by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Allan Wilson: The breakdown is given in the following table.

  


Grade 
  

Gender 
  

Ethnic Origin 
  

Disabled 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

White 
  

Chinese 
  

Other 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  



Senior Staff Group 3 
  

1 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Senior Staff Group 2 
  

2 
  

- 
  

2 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Senior Staff Group 1a 
  

2 
  

- 
  

2 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Senior Staff Group 1 
  

10 
  

1 
  

11 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Payband 1 
  

7 
  

- 
  

7 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Payband 2 
  

46 
  

6 
  

52 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Payband 3 
  

48 
  

17 
  

65 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Payband 3 Operational 
  

25 
  

4 
  

29 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Payband 4 
  

64 
  

40 
  

104 
  

- 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  



Payband 4 Operational 
  

47 
  

4 
  

51 
  

- 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  



Payband 5 
  

85 
  

80 
  

164 
  

1 
  

- 
  

1 
  

4 
  



Payband 5 Operational 
  

154 
  

11 
  

165 
  

- 
  

- 
  

3 
  

- 
  



Payband 6a 
  

210 
  

9 
  

219 
  

- 
  

- 
  

7 
  

- 
  



Payband 6a Operational 
  

93 
  

9 
  

102 
  

- 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  



Payband 6b 
  

284 
  

216 
  

499 
  

- 
  

1 
  

12 
  

7 
  



Payband 7 
  

41 
  

47 
  

88 
  

- 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  



Apprentice 
  

1 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Total 
  

1,120 
  

444 
  

1,562 
  

1 
  

1 
  

27 
  

11 
  



  Note: Figures include permanent, fixed term and casual staff. Part-time staff are counted as one.

Forestry Commission

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were recruited by the Forestry Commission in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Allan Wilson: The information is given in the following table.

  Year   Gender   Ethnic Origin   Disabled   Total Male   Female   White   Chinese   Other   Male   Female   1997   34   65   99   -   -   -   -   99 1998   52   79   131   -   -   -   -   131 1999   65   59   107   1   1   -   1   109 2000   66 133   1   -   -   -   134 2001   164   -   -   2   -   164 2002   52   69   101   -   1   -   -   102 Total   319   98   735   2   2   2   1   739

  Note: Figures include permanent, fixed term and casual staff recruitments. Part-time staff are counted as 1.

Gaelic

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the remarks made in the Sunday Times on 5 May 2002 attributed to Susan Stewart, First Secretary for Scottish Affairs in the British Embassy in Washington DC, reflect its official policy pertaining to the Gaelic language.

Mike Watson: The newspaper article referred to does not comment on the Executive's policy on Gaelic.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the increase in the prescription of Ritalin to children in the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The decision on whether or not to prescribe a drug for a patient is always a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient’s doctor, informed by advice and guidance about the drug. In the case of methylphenidate hydrochloride for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), this would include the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network Guideline 52 on ADHD and the advice issued by the National institute for Clinical Excellence in October 2000.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate research carried out in the United States of America concerning the drug Meclizine.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to investigate research carried out in the United States of America concerning the drug Meclizine.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out any medical trials involving the use of the drug Meclizine.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to carry out any medical trials involving the use of the drug Meclizine.

  Information on conducting clinical trials can be found on the Medicines Control Agency website www.mca.gov.uk.

Homelessness

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations made in the final report of the Homelessness Task Force, as supported by the Parliament, will form the basis of the Homelessness Bill when it is introduced.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Homelessness Bill will be based on the legislative recommendations contained in the final report of the Homelessness Task Force. The proposals to be taken forward in the Bill were the subject of a recent Scottish Executive consultation exercise.

Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26231 by Ms Margaret Curran on 6 June 2002, what the implications of the amended Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill are for its devolved responsibilities.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26834 by Ms Margaret Curran on 11 July 2002, what the devolved matters are which may be affected by the implementation of the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26834 by Ms Margaret Curran on 11 July 2002, whether the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill as amended in the House of Commons Standing Committee B will be consistent with the approach taken in Scotland to any devolved matters which may be affected by the implementation of the bill.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments made by Malcolm Wicks MP in the House of Commons Standing Committee B on 11 July 2002 (afternoon), ( Official Report , House of Commons, Standing Committee B, c 101), whether the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill as amended in the House of Commons Standing Committee B will "mesh" with the Executive’s strategy on antisocial behaviour.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments made by Malcolm Wicks MP in the House of Commons Standing Committee B on 11 July 2002 (afternoon), ( Official Report , House of Commons, Standing Committee B, c 101), whether the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill as amended in the House of Commons Standing Committee B will (a) act as a deterrent to antisocial behaviour and (b) lead to an increase in evictions for rent arrears.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to propose legislation to ensure that its strategy on antisocial behaviour "meshes" with the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill was adjourned at the committee report and Third Reading stage in the House of Commons on 19 July and our understanding is that no time has currently been allocated for that adjournment. There are, therefore, at present no implications for the Scottish Executive’s devolved responsibilities.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in relation to criminal investigations by the police of fraud relating to tribunals operating in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive expects that any fraud relating to tribunals involving potential criminal activity would be reported to the police. It would be a matter for the appropriate police force to decide whether to pursue a criminal investigation and what form any investigation should take.

Justice

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the recommended waiting time is for medical examinations of victims of crime, including rape.

Mr Jim Wallace: Current guidance states that the police should arrange for a medical examination of a victim of crime with all possible speed. The provision of police surgeons is an operational matter for chief constables.

Justice

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of payment fees for police surgeons to (a) attend to victims of crime and (b) compile forensic evidence.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally. Police surgeons volunteer their services and are remunerated in accordance with local arrangements made with the respective police authorities and joint police boards.

Local Government

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of staff currently employed by local government by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is a matter for local authorities. Information on the total number of staff employed by local government, broken down by ethnic origin and disability, is not held centrally.

  The most recently published information relating to the number of staff employed by local government, analysed by gender, is given in the Joint Staffing Watch Survey: June 2001, published jointly by the Scottish Executive and COSLA on August 1 2002. Table 1 provides information on the number of full-time and part-time staff by gender. Table 4 also provides information on the number of full-time equivalent staff by salary band, excluding teachers, police and fire service staff, who are not paid on the local government pay scale. Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 22828), and on the Scottish Executive Internet site: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/localgov/jswj-00.asp.

  Further information on teachers, police and fire service staff is available from other sources.

  For information on police, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27671.

  Information on teacher numbers is given in the 2001 School Census, published by the Scottish Executive on 20 June 2002. Table 6 provides information on the number of full-time equivalent staff by grade. Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 22064), and on the Scottish Executive internet site: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00168-05.asp.

  Information on fire service staff is given in Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland Report for 2000-2001, published by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services. Paragraph 215 shows the number of staff employed by gender and ethnicity, and Appendix 2 shows the number of staff employed by grade. Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 17095), and on the Scottish Executive internet site:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/justice/hmcif_report_2001.pdf.

Local Government

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were recruited by local government in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is a matter for local authorities. Information on the total number of staff recruited by local government is not held centrally. However, further information on police and fire service staff is available.

  For information on police, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27679.

  Information on fire service staff is given in Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland Report for 1999-2000 and 2000-2001, published by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services. Appendix 3 shows the number of whole-time staff recruited, by gender. Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 12522 and 17095), and on the Scottish Executive Internet site:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/law/firerepp00.asp http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/justice/hmcif_report_2001.pdf.

  Further information is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the staff currently employed by the NHS in Scotland by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Information on the breakdown of staff currently employed by the NHS in Scotland by gender, ethnic origin and grade is available on the ISD website:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/NHSiS_resource/Workforce/workforce_statistics.htm

  Table A7 shows the breakdown of all staff by staff group and gender.

  Table G1 shows the breakdown of medical and dental staff by grade and ethnic origin.

  Table G4 shows the breakdown of non-medical and dental staff by ethnic origin and staff group.

  Information on staff currently employed by the NHS in Scotland broken down by disability is not available centrally.

NHS Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were recruited by the NHS in Scotland in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Nursing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses are currently employed by the NHS in Scotland, broken down by gender and SRN, SEN, RMN or other qualification.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Information on the number of nurses currently employed by the NHS in Scotland, broken down by gender, level of qualification (and specialty) is available in table E7 on the ISD website:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/NHSiS_resource/Workforce/workforce_statistics.htm

Nursing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses were in training in the NHS in Scotland in each of the years from 1997 to 2002 for SRN, SEN, RMN or other qualifications, broken down by gender and year of study.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The available information is set out in the following tables. The information requested is not available by year of study and is not yet published for 2001-02. Nurse education now leads to registration and there are no courses for training to enrolled nurse level.

  


Pre-registration training 
  



Year (to 31 March) 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



1996-97 
  

934 
  

5,813 
  

6,747 
  



1997-98 
  

916 
  

6,143 
  

7,059 
  



1998-99 
  

930 
  

6,453 
  

7,383 
  



1999-2000 
  

908 
  

6,692 
  

7,600 
  



2000-01 
  

983 
  

7,045 
  

8,028 
  



  


Midwifery 
  



Year (to 31 March) 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



1996-97 
  

1 
  

594 
  

595 
  



1997-98 
  

3 
  

581 
  

584 
  



1998-99 
  

1 
  

599 
  

600 
  



1999-2000 
  

2 
  

607 
  

609 
  



2000-01 
  

2 
  

604 
  

606 
  



  


Post-registration training 
  



Year (to 31 March) 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



1996-97 
  

55 
  

571 
  

626 
  



1997-98 
  

69 
  

674 
  

743 
  



1998-99 
  

107 
  

1,301 
  

1,408 
  



1999-2000 
  

137 
  

1,604 
  

1,741 
  



2000-01 
  

167 
  

1,601 
  

1,768

Planning

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to adopt similar proposals to those made in the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions’ planning Green Paper, Planning: Delivering a Fundamental Change .

Ms Margaret Curran: In Scotland the Executive's work to modernise the planning system has already made progress on a number of issues included in the English Planning Green Paper. Much of what is proposed will be delivered in Scotland through the outcomes of the Review of Strategic Planning and Getting Involved in Planning consultation exercises. These changes include: simplification of the system by removing the blanket requirement for structure plans; improving public participation in planning, and replacing National Planning Policy Guidelines (NPPGs) with Scottish Planning Policies (SPPs) which will be more concise and have a more explicit policy content.

  We also propose to consult on streamlining inquiries this year and are currently considering the scope for improvements to the enforcement system.

Police

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of staff currently employed by police forces by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Mr Jim Wallace: A breakdown of police officers and of staff currently employed by police forces, by gender, ethnic minority and grade is shown in the following tables. Information on ethnic origin and disability is not held centrally.

  Police Officers

  


Force 
  

CC 
  

ACC 
  

Supt 
  

Chief Inspector 
  

Inspector 
  



M 
  

F 
  

M 
  

F 
  

M 
  

F 
  

M 
  

F 
  

EM 
  

EF 
  

M 
  

F 
  

EM 
  

EF 
  



Central 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

9 
  

0 
  

14 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

40 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



D&G 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

7 
  

0 
  

7 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

21 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Fife 
  

1 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

14 
  

0 
  

13 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

36 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Grampian 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

17 
  

1 
  

20 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

84 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  



L&B 
  

1 
  

0 
  

3 
  

0 
  

29 
  

3 
  

40 
  

3 
  

1 
  

0 
  

132 
  

9 
  

1 
  

0 
  



Northern 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

8 
  

0 
  

13 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

32 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Strathclyde 
  

1 
  

0 
  

5 
  

1 
  

98 
  

5 
  

86 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

365 
  

22 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Tayside 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

11 
  

1 
  

15 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

52 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Total 
  

8 
  

0 
  

19 
  

1 
  

193 
  

10 
  

208 
  

15 
  

1 
  

0 
  

762 
  

42 
  

1 
  

0 
  



  


Force 
  

Sergeant 
  

Constable 
  



M 
  

F 
  

EM 
  

EF 
  

M 
  

F 
  

EM 
  

EF 
  



Central 
  

106 
  

9 
  

1 
  

0 
  

439 
  

95 
  

1 
  

0 
  



D&G 
  

68 
  

5 
  

0 
  

0 
  

283 
  

86 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Fife 
  

119 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

564 
  

152 
  

2 
  

1 
  



Grampian 
  

180 
  

22 
  

0 
  

0 
  

696 
  

227 
  

4 
  

1 
  



L&B 
  

337 
  

31 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1,671 
  

420 
  

14 
  

4 
  



Northern 
  

114 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

400 
  

103 
  

1 
  

1 
  



Strathclyde 
  

894 
  

79 
  

1 
  

1 
  

4,534 
  

1,173 
  

41 
  

13 
  



Tayside 
  

145 
  

12 
  

0 
  

0 
  

701 
  

222 
  

4 
  

0 
  



Total 
  

1,963 
  

170 
  

3 
  

1 
  

9,287 
  

2,479 
  

67 
  

21 
  



  Support Staff

  


Force 
  

Traffic Wardens 
  

Other Support Staff 
  



M 
  

F 
  

EM 
  

EF 
  

M 
  

F 
  

EM 
  

EF 
  



Central 
  

18 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

124 
  

161 
  

0 
  

0 
  



D&G 
  

6 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

90 
  

151 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Fife 
  

23 
  

5 
  

0 
  

1 
  

118 
  

194 
  

0 
  

3 
  



Grampian 
  

30 
  

14 
  

0 
  

0 
  

195 
  

394 
  

0 
  

0 
  



L&B 
  

67 
  

33 
  

0 
  

0 
  

446 
  

625 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Northern 
  

26 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

119 
  

238 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Strathclyde 
  

44 
  

24 
  

0 
  

0 
  

788 
  

1,335 
  

7 
  

12 
  



Tayside 
  

12 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  

198 
  

330 
  

0 
  

2 
  



Total 
  

226 
  

87 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2,078 
  

3,428 
  

9 
  

20 
  



  Notes:

  1. E and F refer to males and females who are not from ethnic minorities.

  2. There are no ethnic minority staff employed in the ranks of Chief Constable, Assistant Chief Constable and Superintendent.

  3. Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Annual Statistical Returns from forces for 2001-02

Police

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were recruited by police forces in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Mr Jim Wallace: The numbers of staff recruited by police forces in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender and ethnic minority are shown in the following tables. Figures on ethnic origin and disability are not held centrally. No recruitment information is held for support staff for 1997-98 and 1998-99, and there is no breakdown available for ethnic minority support staff for 1999-2000.

  1997-98

  Police Officers

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

36 
  

12 
  

1 
  

0 
  

49 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

27 
  

12 
  

0 
  

0 
  

39 
  



Fife 
  

43 
  

22 
  

0 
  

0 
  

65 
  



Grampian 
  

64 
  

21 
  

0 
  

0 
  

85 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

52 
  

26 
  

2 
  

0 
  

80 
  



Northern 
  

26 
  

8 
  

1 
  

0 
  

35 
  



Strathclyde 
  

200 
  

139 
  

3 
  

1 
  

343 
  



Tayside 
  

52 
  

22 
  

1 
  

0 
  

75 
  



Total 
  

500 
  

262 
  

8 
  

1 
  

771 
  



  1998-99

  Police Officers

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

30 
  

5 
  

0 
  

0 
  

35 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

14 
  

6 
  

0 
  

0 
  

20 
  



Fife 
  

19 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

27 
  



Grampian 
  

77 
  

22 
  

1 
  

0 
  

100 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

22 
  

10 
  

0 
  

0 
  

32 
  



Northern 
  

12 
  

9 
  

0 
  

0 
  

21 
  



Strathclyde 
  

60 
  

29 
  

2 
  

0 
  

91 
  



Tayside 
  

27 
  

15 
  

0 
  

0 
  

42 
  



Total 
  

261 
  

104 
  

3 
  

0 
  

368 
  



  1999-2000

  Police Officers

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

22 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

26 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

13 
  

8 
  

0 
  

1 
  

22 
  



Fife 
  

30 
  

10 
  

0 
  

1 
  

41 
  



Grampian 
  

16 
  

8 
  

1 
  

0 
  

25 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

46 
  

16 
  

1 
  

1 
  

64 
  



Northern 
  

15 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

23 
  



Strathclyde 
  

181 
  

69 
  

5 
  

2 
  

257 
  



Tayside 
  

21 
  

17 
  

0 
  

0 
  

38 
  



Total 
  

344 
  

140 
  

7 
  

5 
  

496 
  



  Support Staff

  


Force 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

8 
  

13 
  

21 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

10 
  

23 
  

33 
  



Fife 
  

9 
  

29 
  

38 
  



Grampian 
  

10 
  

29 
  

39 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

35 
  

64 
  

99 
  



Northern 
  

11 
  

46 
  

57 
  



Strathclyde 
  

55 
  

99 
  

154 
  



Tayside 
  

25 
  

49 
  

74 
  



Total 
  

163 
  

352 
  

515 
  



  2000-01

  Police Officers

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

29 
  

10 
  

0 
  

0 
  

39 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

31 
  

15 
  

0 
  

0 
  

46 
  



Fife 
  

37 
  

13 
  

0 
  

0 
  

50 
  



Grampian 
  

81 
  

34 
  

0 
  

0 
  

115 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

125 
  

56 
  

6 
  

2 
  

189 
  



Northern 
  

24 
  

19 
  

1 
  

1 
  

45 
  



Strathclyde 
  

334 
  

159 
  

6 
  

4 
  

503 
  



Tayside 
  

39 
  

26 
  

1 
  

0 
  

66 
  



Total 
  

700 
  

332 
  

14 
  

7 
  

1,053 
  



  Support Staff

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

19 
  

19 
  

0 
  

0 
  

38 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

20 
  

25 
  

0 
  

0 
  

45 
  



Fife 
  

19 
  

24 
  

0 
  

0 
  

43 
  



Grampian 
  

23 
  

54 
  

0 
  

0 
  

77 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

47 
  

107 
  

0 
  

0 
  

154 
  



Northern 
  

12 
  

28 
  

0 
  

0 
  

40 
  



Strathclyde 
  

46 
  

79 
  

0 
  

0 
  

125 
  



Tayside 
  

24 
  

45 
  

0 
  

1 
  

70 
  



Total 
  

210 
  

381 
  

0 
  

1 
  

592 
  



  2001-02

  Police Officers

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

13 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  

16 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

20 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  

23 
  



Fife 
  

70 
  

24 
  

0 
  

0 
  

94 
  



Grampian 
  

44 
  

12 
  

0 
  

0 
  

56 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

112 
  

42 
  

3 
  

0 
  

157 
  



Northern 
  

37 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

45 
  



Strathclyde 
  

211 
  

95 
  

6 
  

0 
  

312 
  



Tayside 
  

42 
  

25 
  

0 
  

0 
  

67 
  



Total 
  

549 
  

212 
  

9 
  

0 
  

770 
  



  Support Staff

  


Force 
  

White 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Overall 
  



Male 
  

Female 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Total 
  



Central 
  

16 
  

20 
  

1 
  

1 
  

38 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

7 
  

10 
  

0 
  

0 
  

17 
  



Fife 
  

13 
  

36 
  

0 
  

2 
  

51 
  



Grampian 
  

21 
  

46 
  

0 
  

0 
  

67 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

68 
  

93 
  

0 
  

0 
  

161 
  



Northern 
  

17 
  

36 
  

0 
  

0 
  

53 
  



Strathclyde 
  

56 
  

104 
  

0 
  

2 
  

162 
  



Tayside 
  

41 
  

72 
  

0 
  

0 
  

113 
  



Total 
  

239 
  

417 
  

1 
  

0 
  

662 
  



  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s Annual Statistical Returns from forces.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the staff currently employed by the Scottish Prison Service by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is contained in the following tables:

  Gender

  


Male 
  

3,641 
  



Female 
  

970 
  



  Ethnic Origin

  


Asian and White 
  

2 
  



Black African 
  

1 
  



Chinese 
  

1 
  



Indian 
  

2 
  



Other 
  

2 
  



Pakistani 
  

3 
  



White 
  

4,521 
  



Not submitted 
  

79 
  



  Disability

  


Disabled 
  

112 
  



Disabled not Registered 
  

10 
  



Not Disabled 
  

4,156 
  



Not Submitted 
  

333 
  



  Grade

  


A 
  

54 
  



B 
  

194 
  



C 
  

321 
  



C+ 
  

1,079 
  



D 
  

331 
  



D+ 
  

1,777 
  



E 
  

117 
  



E+ 
  

420 
  



F 
  

102 
  



F+ 
  

78 
  



G 
  

82 
  



H 
  

32 
  



I 
  

9 
  



Career Break 
  

3 
  



Senior Civil Servants 
  

6 
  



Scottish Executive 
  

6

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were recruited by the Scottish Prison Service in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is available in SPS Annual Reports, which have been laid before Parliament.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail disciplinary offences committed in HM Prisons Perth, Barlinnie, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Greenock, Glenochil and Kilmarnock for the last three years broken down for individual offences in the same way as in Appendix 6 of the Scottish Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2001-02 .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested can be found in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 23024).

Prison Service

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made for drug misusers who leave HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Prison Service now has in place a contract with Cranstoun Drug Services (a charity working with voluntary sector organisations) to provide transitional support for a period of up to 12 weeks in the community following release. This enables linkage to community based provision.

  I would like to take this opportunity to correct a mistake during the closing speech on the Estates Review Debate on 18 April which may have led to confusion.

  Dr Richard Simpson stated "The health board will build a small health centre in Kilmarnock to deal with problem drug users who go out from Kilmarnock to the local community" (Col. 10993). He had in mind discussions with medical staff at Kilmarnock prison where it was suggested that one idea might be to build some small special community facility which could be accessed by ex-prisoners. He inferred that this was a firm proposal and although he stated in good faith what he understood to be the case at the time, it was incorrect. There are indeed no such plans at the present time.

  I understand that discussions have taken place between Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board representatives and clinical staff of HMP Kilmarnock to discuss various matters, including apparent problems released prisoners faced when endeavouring to access primary care services. I also gather a number of possible solutions were discussed but no decisions were taken apart from a commitment to further investigate how NHS Ayrshire and Arran could support HMP Kilmarnock.

Scottish Executive Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the staff it currently employs by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive Core Departments Staffing Information (headcounts) as at 1 July 2002 by gender, ethnic origin, disability, and grade is provided in the table.

  


Gender 
  

Total 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

 


 


 




Number of staff 
  

4,361 
  

2,207 
  

2,154 
  

 


 


 




Ethnic Origin 
  

Total 
  

White 
  

Minority Ethnic 
  

Not Known 
  




 




Number of staff 
  

4,361 
  

3,373 
  

53 
  

935 
  

 


 




Disability 
  

Total 
  

No declared disability 
  

Self declared disability 
  

 


 


 




Number of staff 
  

4,361 
  

4,236 
  

125 
  

 


 


 




Grade 
  

Total 
  

SCS 
  

Band C 
  

Band B 
  

Band A 
  

Other 
  



Number of staff 
  

4,361 
  

165 
  

592 
  

2,072 
  

1,517 
  

15

Scottish Executive Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it recruited in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive aims to recruit staff from a diverse background and experience, and successful applicants are selected on the basis of the ability to do the job. Whilst information on the ethnic background and disability of all applicants is collected for monitoring purposes, applicants are under no obligation to provide such information.

  Recruitment is undertaken to fill vacancies arising within Scottish Executive core departments, as well as some agencies and other associated departments. The figures provided in the table include all recruitment activity undertaken by the Scottish Executive.

  Recruitment by the Scottish Executive: 1999 to 2002

  


Year 
  

Total 
  

Male 
  

Female 
  

Ethnic Minority 
  

Persons with a Disability 
  



1999 
  

851 
  

440 
  

411 
  

6 
  

19 
  



2000 
  

761 
  

395 
  

366 
  

12 
  

29 
  



2001 
  

627 
  

295 
  

332 
  

24 
  

36 
  



20021


155 
  

68 
  

87 
  

3 
  

5 
  



  Notes:

  1. Information up to 25 May 2002.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of staff currently employed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority by gender, ethnic origin, disability and grade.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were recruited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in each year from 1997 to 2002, broken down by gender, ethnic origin and disability.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. I will ask the Chairman to write with the details requested.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, whether the monies indicated as underspends remain available for each social inclusion partnership to spend and, if so, whether it expects the monies in each case to be spent in the financial year 2002-03 in addition to the monies allocated to each partnership for that year.

Hugh Henry: The underspends in the social inclusion partnership programme are subject to the End Year Flexibility arrangements. Within these constraints and subject to confirmation that the carry forward of expenditure is required, the underspends remain available for each social inclusion partnership to spend in the following year as an increment to its budget. Underspend information for 2001-02 is not yet available pending the finalisation of grant claims.

Social Justice

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it would have on social justice should Her Majesty’s Government legislate so that benefits entitlement is linked to behaviour.

Ms Margaret Curran: Entitlement to benefits is a matter reserved to the UK Government. Alongside the UK government, the Executive is committed to creating a fair and prosperous Scotland, and each administration has wide linked measures in place to improve social justice.